Review BORKNAGAR ‘Fall’

Winter isn’t even over yet when the Norwegian season-skippers Borknagar are already announcing autumn again. Let’s just leave spring and summer to one side and focus on ‘Fall’.

After the release of ‘True North’ and the associated tours, the band and especially Øystein G. Brun began working on the next album. As on the previous records, it was Brun who was in charge, but when it came to songwriting, he drew on the strengths of his fellow musicians and skillfully incorporated them into new songs. Additionally, it was Lars A. Nedland who contributed with two songs while Simen Hestnæs is represented with one song.

What stands out on ‘Fall’ is the emotionality and the ability to describe images with music. If you listen to ‘Fall’ from beginning to end, you get the feeling of being part of a story that the band tells in ten chapters.

The core of ‘Fall’ is the fight for survival. Nature has done everything in its power to make life and existence a struggle. Whether it is a life in the wilderness or existence in the urban jungle, it is always a fight for survival. ‘Fall’ thematizes the confrontation with nature and if you listen to ‘Fall’, you will be provided with every facet. Beautiful melodies shine like colorful leaves in autumn. However, this beauty of nature is overshadowed by a coldness that is reflected in all the songs. There is also wind and storm, which musically erupts in fast passages.

Musically, Borknagar offer the full repertoire. Epic, progressive and with a good share of heaviness, songs like the thunderous opener ‘Summits’ make their way into the listener’s ear canals. The melodic clean vocal parts give the song a wonderful tension that leads into ‘Nordic Anthem’. With an almost ritualistic and cinematic introduction, the song shows the roots of music and its sound world.

‘Moon’ is the title of another highlight on this album. It is an epic moment on ‘Fall’ which contains everything you could possibly wish for from such an album, from frenzied moments to quiet acoustic passages. On ‘Unravelling’, Borknagar once again show the vastness of their musical expression, with the keyboard sounds moving more into the foreground.

The almost ten-minute ‘Northward’ is another accomplished masterpiece at the end of the tracklist. With grim beauty and unbridled ferocity, this epic final chapter shows what Borknagar are capable of.

‘Fall’ is an intense and well thought out album, which creates an atmosphere that impresses with its emotional dimension. In addition, it is the many details that provide the listener with long-term listening enjoyment, which is both a challenge and a blessing in these fast-moving times.